It is not always an easy matter to describe the charm of a place you have never been to, but it is not about New York. It is enough to look through photos of the city, to read a couple of articles about it, to watch some videos with fascinating views and you already get […]

It is not always an easy matter to describe the charm of a place you have never been to, but it is not about New York. It is enough to look through photos of the city, to read a couple of articles about it, to watch some videos with fascinating views and you already get a more or less clear picture of this place. Of course, it is not comparable to your real visit, but still. NY is the most densely populated city in the United States, it means that the city attracts people from all over the world. Why does it happen? People are enchanted by the city’s architecture and its cultural component: skyscrapers, museums, art galleries, theaters, parks and any other kind of entertainment that people can find there and enjoy. A tourist may come there just to see the attractions with his own eyes and understand that the frantic pace of NY suits him just fine and he is willing to stay there forever. Moreover, people are attracted by the thought they can fulfil their dreams, because, as we know, the “Big Apple” is considered to be the city of opportunities. One businessman in his video said that when he is in NY (he lives in Moscow on a regular base) and feels how fast the life is there, he becomes highly motivated, numerous new ideas come to his mind and he acquires a lot of energy. So, NYC might be an ideal place for business sharks.

New York has its charm, because it is open for both men and women, for people of all nationalities and ages. It waits for people who are ready to be on the top of a skyscraper.

Photoville, “NYC’s premier photo destination,” is here for its eighth year, with galleries occupying repurposed shipping containers located in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Brooklyn Bridge Plaza, on Water Street just below the Brooklyn Bridge and in the Fulton Ferry Historic District. This year’s Photoville includes over eighty exhibitions, all accessible. In addition to exhibitions in and […]

Photoville, “NYC’s premier photo destination,” is here for its eighth year, with galleries occupying repurposed shipping containers located in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Brooklyn Bridge Plaza, on Water Street just below the Brooklyn Bridge and in the Fulton Ferry Historic District. This year’s Photoville includes over eighty exhibitions, all accessible.

In addition to exhibitions in and around the freight containers, Photoville offers panel discussions, artist lectures, professional development seminars, hands-on workshops, extraordinary nighttime programming, and our Education Day that brings together hundreds of public school students for a unique photo-based field trip.

Admission is free, though a voluntary contribution of $5 to defray expenses is encouraged. There’s more information, including a schedule that runs through next weekend, here.

This evening while running errands I caught my favorite bodega cat, Ash, in a rather compromising position. However, Ash is a good sport about these things provided she gets rubbins. She knows I am a trusty provider too. They always know. As I was lavishing attention upon her, one girl appeared at the door. Naturally […]

This evening while running errands I caught my favorite bodega cat, Ash, in a rather compromising position.

However, Ash is a good sport about these things provided she gets rubbins. She knows I am a trusty provider too. They always know.

As I was lavishing attention upon her, one girl appeared at the door. Naturally Ash, being not just a loss prevention expert but also the ambassador of this establishment, obliged her.

Then two girls appeared.

Then three.

Ash then proceeded to demonstrate her skillz on the nearby Wall of Beer. Much to her peril, as it proved.

Those two packs of beer at far right almost toppled over. I caught them. This sent her youngest admirer into pealing fits of laughter. I did not just save Ash’s dignity, but I probably saved an aficionado of Zywiec and Lomza from opening a can of beer and having it spray in his face. That shit is for DRINKING. Two counts of dignity, saved.

But enough about me. Or beer.

This post is for you, Ash. The joy you give patrons of this establishment, children foremost among them, even melts the cockles of my heart. I’m sure the parents of the aforementioned parents would concur, despite the exasperation of having to collect their children from partaking of your charms (which happened tonight). You are a loved, cherished member of the community.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – After the devastation from Hurricane Dorian, many of us are wondering how we can help the people of the Bahamas. As it turns out, what they need most is visitors. We’ve all seen the heartbreaking images coming from the Bahamas in the wake of Dorian – structures leveled, entire islands devastated. If you […]

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – After the devastation from Hurricane Dorian, many of us are wondering how we can help the people of the Bahamas.

As it turns out, what they need most is visitors.

We’ve all seen the heartbreaking images coming from the Bahamas in the wake of Dorian – structures leveled, entire islands devastated.

If you think it’s too soon to take a trip there you’d be wrong.

“I’ve been telling people who are wondering what they can do to help the Bahamas. I’ve said, ‘the best thing you can do is go to the Bahamas,’” Lawrence Cartwright, the Bahamas’ consulate general in New York said.

That’s because the Bahamas relies heavily on tourism. It accounts for about 60 percent of the country’s revenue, so the most direct way to help the country rebuild is to go visit.

The New York City travel agent says while two of the country’s northern areas – Grand Bahama and the Abacos – are nearly unrecognizable, many of the most popular islands went unscathed.

“When we think about the Bahamas, it’s such a widespread area of islands, so really understanding where the hurricane hit and it’s really remarkable to think you can have that amount of devastation and literally a different island be completely, almost not touched,” Wilson Wetty told CBS2’s Nick Caloway.

And those untouched islands are open for business.

So the country will need as many tourists as possible to visit those unaffected areas; to help rebuild the ones that Dorian left in its wake.

“Go visit. The locals love it when people go travel. We need to have people staying in the hotels, flying in to the harbors, going by cruise ships, spending money in the bars and restaurants, shopping. Because I know the Bahamians will take that money and help their sister islands,” the travel agent added.

If you can’t take a trip to the Bahamas, the Bahamian consulate on Manhattan’s East 46th Street is taking donations of supplies on weekdays.

Cash is king, of course. If you can donate officials urge you to give to well-established charities that can do the most good right now.

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — The terrorist son of infamous al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden — the man who planned the Sept. 11 terror attacks — has been killed by a U.S. counterterrorism operation, the White House announced Saturday. In a brief statement from the Trump Administration, officials said Hamza bin Laden had been eliminated during a strike […]

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — The terrorist son of infamous al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden — the man who planned the Sept. 11 terror attacks — has been killed by a U.S. counterterrorism operation, the White House announced Saturday.

In a brief statement from the Trump Administration, officials said Hamza bin Laden had been eliminated during a strike in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

The younger bin Laden had also reportedly become a prominent figure within the terrorist organization — following in the footsteps of his now-dead father.

American officials have said there are indications that the CIA, not the U.S. military, conducted the strike. The CIA declined comment on whether the agency was involved.

Hamza bin Laden’s death “not only deprives al-Qaida of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group,” the White House statement said.

Authorities added that Osama bin Laden’s son “was responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups.”

A U.S. official familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity about intelligence-gathering said bin Laden was killed in the past 18 months; adding that such a high-profile death can take a long time. The official declined to say what led the U.S. to report bin Laden’s death with certainty.

The younger bin Laden had been viewed as an eventual heir to the leadership of al-Qaida, and the group’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, had praised him in a 2015 video that appeared on jihadi websites, calling him a “lion from the den of al-Qaida.” Bin Laden’s death leaves Zawahiri with the challenge of finding a different successor.

The U.S. government in February said it was offering $1 million for help tracking down Hamza bin Laden as part of the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program.

He was named a “specially designated global terrorist” in January 2017, and he had released audio and video messages calling for attacks against the U.S. and its allies. To mark one 9/11 anniversary, al-Qaida superimposed a childhood photo of him over a photo of the World Trade Center.

Video released by the CIA in 2017 that was seized during the 2011 U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden showed Hamza bin Laden with a trimmed mustache but no beard at his wedding. Previous images have only shown him as a child.

As al-Qaida’s leader, Osama bin Laden oversaw attacks that included the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen. He and others plotted and executed the 2001 attacks against the United States that led to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. U.S. Navy SEALs killed the elder bin Laden in a raid on a house in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011.

MORE: New York City And Nation Mark 18 Years Since 9/11 Terror Attacks

Nearly 3,000 men, women and children were killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001.

Although it’s been 18 years, in many ways the wound still feels fresh, and remains of those killed are still being identified.

Officials say two thirds of all World Trade Center responders have at least one certified 9/11-related health condition. After a battle on Capitol Hill this summer, the Victims Compensation Fund passed through 2092.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, a U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan sought to topple the Taliban, an ally of al-Qaida, and seize the elder bin Laden. He escaped and split from his family as he crossed into Pakistan. Hamza was 12 when he saw his father for the last time.

Hamza and his mother reportedly followed other al-Qaida members into Pakistan and then Iran, where other al-Qaida leaders hid them, according to experts and analysis of documents seized after U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Iran later put the al-Qaida members on its soil into custody.

The younger terrorist leader hadn’t been heard from since a message in March 2018, in which he threatened the rulers of Saudi Arabia.

I have a saying, it goes as follows: You take care of the community and the community will take care. I have seen this demonstrated time and time again in Greenpoint. And today the 1122 Trash Lords really delivered. As I was running errands something caught the corner of my eye. I went in for […]

I have seen this demonstrated time and time again in Greenpoint. And today the 1122 Trash Lords really delivered.

As I was running errands something caught the corner of my eye. I went in for a closer look.
Now this is interesting. I have found a lot of interesting shit walking around north Brooklyn. Anal beads, pornography of every stripe imaginable; even a 4′ tall plastic statue of Simon the Chipmunk (which graces our dining room). This, however, is a first: a voodoo doll.

It should go without saying I brought him (?) home. Mister Heather, despite being a professed atheist, is unnerved by my new friend. I assured him as things go:

I tend to have good working relationships with things which may otherwise want to rip your face off.

I am not sure this provided the solace he needed. However he did reach a level of grudging acceptance when I read to him what this item does:
Your doll is a medium to focus on a problem or desire. You can personalize with hair, small photo or any small item…

As it would happen I do have a problem and it is my utmost desire that it GO AWAY. FOREVER. Best of all despite that party’s best efforts, I got photos too. Now if you all don’t mind it is time to get busy. Cheers!

I consider describing the wonders of the city I’ve never been to funny. It’s like writing an essay about Middle-earth or Hogsmeade, which implies that all I can rely on are numerous articles and stories. But still, task is a task. So what, in my opinion, makes New York city special? Again most articles I […]

I consider describing the wonders of the city I’ve never been to funny. It’s like writing an essay about Middle-earth or Hogsmeade, which implies that all I can rely on are numerous articles and stories.

But still, task is a task.

So what, in my opinion, makes New York city special? Again most articles I read about New York left me impressed: numerous skyscrapers, parks, theatres, monuments and other sights from which a typical huge city might consist of. But besides that there are other regions reknowned for being residential areas or magnets for immigrants or Afro-American people. People from different states or even countries come there because they view New York as a city of opportunities, the place where their goals might be achieved. Such settlers not only give New York its “passion” but also make the city diverse. And I think the latter is the answer to the aforementioned question. The diversity means that you can always find something for yourself in this city no matter whether it’s a demanding job, a pleasant company or a special place.

Despite being called a city with a “high-strung disposition”, New York, to my mind, is quite open-hearted, because it accepts people of different ages, nationalities and world views.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police say a man was dragged and injured while trying to stop a vehicle theft in Manhattan earlier this month. It happened around 11:40 p.m. on Sept. 2. Police say a man was dragged and injured while trying to stop a vehicle theft in Manhattan on Sept. 2, 2019. (Credit: NYPD […]

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police say a man was dragged and injured while trying to stop a vehicle theft in Manhattan earlier this month.

It happened around 11:40 p.m. on Sept. 2.

Police say a man was dragged and injured while trying to stop a vehicle theft in Manhattan on Sept. 2, 2019. (Credit: NYPD Crime Stoppers)

According to police, the 62-year-old man got out of his Lincoln Town Car and left it idling while he dropped off a passenger on East 53rd Street in Midtown.

While the man was out of the vehicle, an unknown individual hopped in the driver’s seat.

The car owner tried to stop him, but the individual drove off, dragging the car owner before striking a parked vehicle.

The individual abandoned the car near West 41st Street and 10th Avenue.

Police say a man was dragged and injured while trying to stop a vehicle theft in Manhattan on Sept. 2, 2019. (Credit: NYPD Crime Stoppers)

The victim was taken to a local hospital with several broken ribs.

Police say the individual is a black male, believed to be about 19 years old. They are also searching for a second black male individual who was seen with the first individual in surveillance video.

Anyone who recognizes the individuals or has information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782. Tips can also be sent to the NYPDTips Twitter account or submitted online at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.

Creating little moments of joy on the New York City subway. Life in New York City, storied as it may be, is a series of mundane acts. It’s waking up in a small apartment and moving about the space in the same paths each day. It’s locking the door; walking down the stairs; walking down […]

Creating little moments of joy on the New York City subway.

Life in New York City, storied as it may be, is a series of mundane acts.

It’s waking up in a small apartment and moving about the space in the same paths each day. It’s locking the door; walking down the stairs; walking down the sidewalk.

There’s a lot of walking.

It’s a turn of of the body into the stairs of the subway; it’s the bounce of the stairs under your feet as you go down. The swipe of the subway card becomes muscle memory. You could forget whether you’ve swiped if you weren’t already on the platform.

Sometimes, in some stations, there’s a wind you feel on your face when the train is approaching. So your body straightens and you get ready, and then when it’s there, the doors open, and you move on autopilot — together, all of you — and you find your spot.

And then there’s motion, for the train anyway, but for you, there’s stillness. You might find a seat or you might stand, which will mean swaying, but that movement is considered standing still for New Yorkers. Your body adapts to the ebb and flow of the subway car. You don’t notice, nor feel off balance.

You zone out.

For four years of living in New York City, I spent 40 minutes each way going to and from work every day. On the weekends, I’d spend longer — there’s often a train to hop on between destinations. Back then I was used to the stimulation the city provides. Today, when I visit, I find myself feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes, I take the subway just to escape. It’s a place where my body relaxes and my mind settles. Still today, I can easily doze off.

There was a time in my journey in New York when being around other people, especially on the subway, was distracting and sometimes even difficult for my soul. I have trouble not creating narratives about people when I observe them. I often found myself getting wrapped up in the dramas of the people around me on the subway.

Some of those dramas were real, which I could tell because they were spilling out of their souls in verbal arguments, or tears, or laughter. But many of their dramas were my own fiction, spun from scant clues I’d discover on them. A woman wringing her hands — she must be nervous, I’d think. A couple sitting solemnly next to one another — what argument had they had?

I was projecting my insecurities on these humans, but of course, I didn’t realize it. Nevertheless, I’d leave processing these stories — really my own — and feeling anxious, or sad, or unsure.

But then something shifted, because I developed a tool. A game I play with myself to ground my soul. A window into appreciating the people around me. I used it back when subway rides were daily and I use it now, when they’re a fleeting respite. I’ve used it other places, too.

I picture the strangers smiling.

People on the subway — or in other crowded places where what you’re really doing is standing idle, like in a train station, or in a doctor’s office waiting room, or at the terminal at the airport — generally bare blank expressions. They are human blank canvases.

I watch them, and then I close my eyes, and I picture them smiling. Sometimes I transport them to somewhere where they might be happy. A family dinner. Christmas morning. A surprise reception at work. Sometimes the images take the shape of photographs. Sometimes it’s just as though they’re standing right where they are then, waiting for a train or a plane or the clock to run out, smiling. Beaming. Full of contentment.

I’m still making up narratives about them, arguably more fictional than the ones I used to spin. But now, instead of getting sucked into their dramas (and really filtering them through mine), I’m seeing them at their best. Seeing them at their best lifts my spirit. And it reminds me to see myself at my best, too.
Photo by Mathias Konrath on Unsplash

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police are trying to identify three people accused of robbing a teenager in Queens earlier this week. Police are trying to identify three individuals accused of robbing a teenager in Queens on Sept. 9, 2019. (Credit: NYPD Crime Stoppers) The incident happened around 3:15 p.m. Monday at the corner of Andrews […]

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police are trying to identify three people accused of robbing a teenager in Queens earlier this week.

Police are trying to identify three individuals accused of robbing a teenager in Queens on Sept. 9, 2019. (Credit: NYPD Crime Stoppers)

The incident happened around 3:15 p.m. Monday at the corner of Andrews Avenue and 55th Street.

According to police, a 16-year-old boy was walking down the street when three unknown individuals approached him from behind and put him in a chokehold.

One suspect allegedly pulled out a knife while the other two took the victim’s cell phone, ear buds and $10 cash. All three then ran off. They were last seen heading down Metropolitan Avenue towards Flushing Avenue.

The victim refused medical attention.

All three suspects are believed to be 16-18 years old. Police say one suspect was a Hispanic male with a light complexion. The other two suspects were black males with dark complexions.

Anyone who recognizes the suspects or has information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782. Tips can also be sent to the NYPDTips Twitter account or submitted online at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.